Biden Administration Plans Immigration Reform Bill in First 100 Days

President-elect Joe Biden says his priorities when he takes office next month will be the pandemic and economic recovery, but he’s facing another crisis that won’t wait: a wave of desperate migrants on his southern border.

Two ruinous hurricanes that wrecked and flooded swathes of Central America last month have increased the number of families planning a risky journey northward. And after a year of travel bans and soaring unemployment, demand to reach the U.S. was already high.

“There are going to be caravans, and in the coming weeks it will increase,” said Jose Luis Gonzalez, coordinator of the Guatemala Red Jesuita con Migrantes, a non-governmental organization. “People are no longer scared of the coronavirus. They’re going hungry, they’ve lost everything and some towns are still flooded.”

Biden has pledged to abolish many of the migration policies of Donald Trump, including prolonged detention and separation of families, which were designed to deter illegal migration. This encourages more impoverished Central Americans to make the trip and test the Biden administration, said Gonzalez.

“When there is a change in government in the U.S. or Mexico, caravans start to move because they are testing the waters to see how authorities respond,” he said. “What they see is that the one who said he was going to build a wall and hated Latinos is on his way out.”

On social media, announcements are circulating for caravans, groups of migrants traveling together, leaving San Pedro Sula, Honduras’s second-largest city, which was hit by both storms. The first caravan is scheduled to leave in the coming days and the second in mid-January.

Biden’s advisers are hoping to shift away from Trump’s policies without signaling that the border has been flung open, according to people familiar with the planning. They know that swift, sweeping changes will spur more people to attempt the journey to the U.S.

Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, dealt with migrant surges during Barack Obama’s administration, when he was deputy secretary. The response included adding detention facilities for adults with children and increasing enforcement and deportations, drawing criticism from civil and immigration rights groups.

“President-elect Joe Biden will restore order, dignity and fairness to our immigration system,” said Ned Price, a spokesman for Biden’s transition. “At its core, his immigration policy will be driven by the need to keep families together and end the disastrous policy of family separation.”

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[tiddiesattic]

Maybe y'all should focus on their character/resume/etc instead of their genitalia & skin color so you can get the best person for the job 🤷🏿‍♂️

[vadermasktruth]

This is the textbook definition of racism: giving preference to someone based on their race & skin color. Nice JoJo, nice.

[betternow]

Sooo my family that struggled for years to immigrate legally doesn't matter compared to people crossing the boarder

You know other countries have boarder walls for this reason right?

[dimase]

How about the homeless people in america. Shut down the borders and take care of the homeless first.

[swimmer]

How many years should he be in jail for the fraud he pulled?

[Breadcrumbs]

Wow. They're talking about this as if this is a good thing. Imagine thinking about defunding the border patrol? Like come on 🤦🏻‍♂️ where your guy's head at.

[MammothRemovals]

All the likes wear masks while they drive their car alone 😒

[josephhunter]

Slow Joe is wack af God bless him and put him in a home

[dennyboruta]

Does any one think if we went to any country in the world that we would be giving the same as we do for people from other countries?

[samiam]

He is so old now he does not care at all about the future of the country. When he was younger he never supported anything he supports now(imho).

[danieladkins]

Oh great ...now he will open the boarder's their job's again... america stand up and let's take our country back

[justinboggs]

Y'all birds got your head in outer space ice is like the number one fight against human and child trafficking

[gscrippler]

Don't quit your day jobs folks. You won't be taking office

[matthewhanson]

When people get it it for free but not me and my wife and girls

[pwrider]

Dismantle ice are u serious omg were doomed

[aeringossett]

Seriously? How about dealing with the wave of HOMELESSNESS for Americans?

[jeepermustang]

Waste of time. And money not president

[THEOGGUNSHOW]

How does Biden intend to do all of this from Federal prison?

[Commander_HW]

Where is the woman in pink shirt looking at? Seems like she's looking up, is there a teleprompter there?

[benzito]

Can we just bring hott Latinas into the country